5 questions about the Penguins entering training camp
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2022 training camp won’t be nearly as fraught with consternation as the 2021 edition.
A year ago, it remained to be seen who would play center as franchise pillars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were convalescing from offseason surgeries. And the futures of Malkin and All-Star defenseman Kris Letang were far from certain as they were entering the final year of their previous contracts.
No such questions loom over the Penguins as they open camp Thursday. At least not at the same level.
The Penguins are in a relatively stable place as they prepare for the franchise’s 55th season. But there are legitimate questions to examine going into training camp.
1. What do they do with all these defensemen?
On July 13, the first day of the NHL’s free-agent signing period, Ron Hextall said he had nine NHL-caliber defensemen and acknowledged a pretty simple axiom.
“We’re certainly not going to have nine on the opening roster.”
Hextall addressed that surplus a few weeks later by making a pair of trades, adding defensemen Jeff Petry and Ty Smith to the mix and giving the Penguins … nine defensemen.
Smith is exempt from waivers and can be assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL without any red tape, but there’s still a clot of blue liners who need to be sorted out, if for no other reason than to provide some flexibility with the salary cap.
2. Will any young forwards finally get a chance?
During his season-ending news conference in May, Hextall suggested some of the organization’s younger forwards such as Filip Hallander, Valtteri Puustinen and Sam Poulin could challenge for a roster spot entering the 2022-23 season.
And why not?
With the departures of veterans such as Evan Rodrigues and Brian Boyle, there appears to be some openings in the lower reaches of the Penguins’ forward ranks that the team could not refill because of salary cap constraints.
Prospects on entry-level contracts are always cheap options to man those stations, and the Penguins appear to have some viable options as Hextall outlined.
But will they get a legitimate chance to do that? Like many coaches, Mike Sullivan occasionally has been slow to trust green rookies while opting to lean on tried and true veterans.
But entering this season, the Penguins might not have any other options.
3. When will Tristan Jarry re-sign?
Stop us if you’ve heard this before.
A vital part of the franchise’s fortunes is entering the final year of his contract, and it’s anyone’s guess when (or if) he’ll re-sign.
After going through an entire season of uncertainty with regard to the contract statuses of Malkin and Letang (as well as forward Bryan Rust), the Penguins really have only one major question mark on that front this season. But, boy, is it a big one.
The 27-year-old Jarry is a pending unrestricted free agent in the summer, and the Penguins have to decide if he’s worth a lucrative multiyear contract.
On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer. He’s two-time All-Star, and unlike the occasions when they decided to part ways with former stars Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray, they don’t have a viable in-house option to replace Jarry.
But given his postseason struggles — the 2021 playoffs specifically — it’s fair to wonder if Jarry is worthy of having so much of the franchise’s future tied into him.
4. Can the core stay healthy?
Last season, Crosby (15) and Malkin (37) combined to miss 52 games because of health-related matters. Letang was fairly durable, missing only four games because of covid-19. But he has a lengthy medical chart from various ailments he has endured in his career.
All three are in their mid-30s, and key supplemental pieces such as forward Jeff Carter (37) as well as defensemen Petry (34) and Brian Dumoulin (30) are on the back nine of their careers as well.
This is one of the older teams in the NHL. And while the players’ commitment off the ice to remain in elite condition cannot be questioned, no one ever defeats time.
5. Are they still truly contenders?
The franchise’s three most recent Stanley Cup championship banners exist largely thanks to the efforts of Crosby, Malkin and Letang. If they never generate another one, there would be no shame in having only three.
But they still view themselves as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. That will remain the goal of the Penguins as long as this trio is on the ice.
But given their futility in even winning a playoff round over the past four years, their collective age and the presence of true contenders such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche, as well as the ascension of squads such as the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers, are the Penguins still one of the NHL’s elite franchises on the ice?
Management invested quite a bit of capital into keeping the core together this summer because everyone involved believes another championship is attainable with this group.
But belief doesn’t always reflect reality.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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